Ironing machine



Feb. 5, 1935.

E. F. LOWEKE IRONING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, 1933 S'Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BENIN f7 LUWEKE- ATTORNEY Feb. 5, 1935.

E. F. LOWEKE 1,990,043

IRONING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BENIN F LUNEKE.

ATTORNEY E. F. LOWEKE IRONING MACHINE Feb. 5, 1935.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 16, 1935 INVENTOIR Ekwzzv F LUNEKEZ ATTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 H H m E N Y MM M w wm M A m Feb. 5, 1935. E. F. LOWEKE IRQNING MACHINE Filed Oct. 16, 1955 Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRONING MACHINE Erwin F. Loweke, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Hydraulic Brake Company, Detroit, Mich., a cor' poration of California Application October 16, 1933, Serial No. 693,851

10 Claims. (01. 68-9) This invention relates to laundry appliances arms 18. The legs 28 of the bell crank levers and more particularly to ironing machines. engage the free ends of the pins 22, and the other Broadly the invention comprehends an ironing legs 30 of theselevers are connected by links 32 machine for domestic use including relatively to levers 34 pivoted on a cross-bar 36 connecting movable ironing elements and vacuum operated the arms 18, and a vacuum cylinder 38 is connectmeans for actuating the elements. ed between the levers 34.

An object of the invention is to provide an The vacuum cylinder 38 is connected by a flexironing machine having relatively movable ironible conduit 40 to a duplex valve 42 secured on ing elements operable in sequence by vacuum one of the arms 18, and by a flexible conduit 44 operated means. a to a disk valve 46 secured to a cross-bar 48 con- Another object is to provide an ironing mastituting a part of the table or support, and the chine including relatively movable ironing elevalve 46 is connected by a pipe line or conduit ments and vacuum operated means for moving 50 to the duplex valve 42. one of the elements into operative position and The dup valv 42 is Connected by a P p for moving the other element to create an ironing line or conduit 52 to the intake of a vacuum pump pressure between the elements. 54 driven by an electric motor M, suitably mount- Another object of the invention is to provide ed on the frame. The pump is preferably f the an ironing machine for domestic use including type discl s di y o-p e app i ati Serial relatively movable ironing elements and vacuum 3. filed y 933- The duplex Valve operated means for engaging the elements with 42 s a Connected y a p line 56 t0 filter uniform pressure between them, chamber 58 having therein suitable filtering ma- Other objects and advantages of the invention ia and the filter Chamber is Connected y will more fully appear from the following descripa p p in 62 to a l reservoir l at d w n tion taken in connection with the accompanying e p p, d y a p p line 64 150 the discharge drawings forming a part of this specification, and D 0f p in which, The valve 42 includes a cylinder 66 having Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken r in a r ip l duplex pi n 68 p vidjust below the top of the table; ing in effect two valves '10 and 72, one connected Figure2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view between the c i 0 a 56 d e ot partly i elevation and partly broken away; connected between the conduits and 52. For Figure 3 is a, cross-sectional i w, partly i concomitant operation of the duplex valve, the vation and partly broken'away; stem of the valve or the rod of the piston is Figure 4 is a top plan view with the table suitably connected to a lever 74 suitably secured broken away; to a transverse shaft 76 journaled on the arms Figure 5 is a diagrammatical illustration of the 1 and rockable through manually Operated operating circuit; and vers 78 secured to the shaft adjacent the respec- Figure 6 is a diagrammatical illustration of fiv ds thereof, so that the level y be pthe vacuum operating system. erated by either the right or left hand of the Referring to the drawings for more specific deop tails of the invention, 10 represents a table or A hollow column 80 support on the hflusing other suitable support including a rectangular 16 has pivotally connected thereto a hollow arm frame 12 supporting a top 14. A housing 16 is 82 formed with corresponding oppositely suitably secured tothe frame beneath the top of posed hollow horns 84 to which is pivotally atthe table, and arms 18 extending from the wall tached a head 86 adaptable for cooperation with 45 of the housing are secured to the respective ends the buck 24, and the head has therein a suitof the frame to brace the frame and thereby imable ironing element 88 connected in an elecpart strength and rigidity to the structure. The tric-al circuit 90 to be hereinafter described. arms 18 have oppositely disposed bosses 20 bored The arm 82 has pivotally connected thereto to receive pins 22 secured to the base of a buck one end of a link 92, the other end of which 24 movable vertically through an opening in the is pivotally connected to one leg 94 of a bell top of the table. crank lever 96 pivoted on a lug formed on the The buck 24 is movable into and from operative inner wall of the housing 16; the other leg 98 position by force applied through hell crank levers of the bell crank lever is pivotaily connected to 26 engaging the pins 22. As shown, the bell crank the leg 100 of a toggle 102, the other leg 104 5 levers are pivoted on lugs depending from the of which constitutes one leg of a bell crank lever 106 having its knee pivoted on a lug depending from the cross-bar 36 and its other leg 108 connected by springs 110 to a fixed support on the housing.

Movement of the toggle is limited in one direction by an adjustable stop 112 which serves to support the toggle with its knee slightly beyond centenso as to lock the linkage controlling the arm 82 and thus retain the head 86 in a fixed or operative position. Upon release of the applied force retaining the toggle in the locked position, the springs 110 snap the toggle and, through the linkage connecting the toggle to the arm 82, moves the head 86 from operating position, this movement of the head being augmented by relatively heavy springs 114 connecting the link 92 to a fixed support on the housing 116.

A vacuum cylinder 116 is pivotally supported on a lever 118 pivotally attached to a bracket 120 secured to the cross-bar 48. The piston 122 of the vacuum cylinder 116 has its rod 124 pivotally attached to a lug on the leg 100 of the toggle 102, and the cylinder 116 is connected by a flexible conduit 126 to the valve 46, and the stem of the valve is pivotally attached to the lever 118.

The circuit 90 including the heating element 88 and a lamp 128, which are preferably located within the horns 84 and the circuit, is controlled by a switch 130 also housed within the horns. This circuit is a branch of a circuit 132 including the motor M and a control switch 134 housed in the horns. It is, of course, to be understood that the circuit 132 may be connected to any suitable source of electrical supply.

Assuming that the operating circuit of the machine is connected to a suitable source of electrical energy and that the switches 130 and 134 have been thrown to connect the motor M and the heating element 88 in the circuit, under these conditions the motor actuates the pump 54 and the heating element heats the head 86.

With the head 86 in the elevated position, the operator places the work upon the buck 24 and depresses either of the operating levers '78. Upon depressing either of these levers, the shaft '76 is rocked to move the lever '74 through an angle, and this movement of the lever 74 is transmitted to the piston 68 to move the piston in the cylinder 66 of the valve 42 to the position shown in dotted lines. This movement of the piston 68 opens the valve '72 and connects the pump 54 to the vacuum cylinder 116 resulting in evacuation of the cylinder through the conduit 126, valve 46, and conduits 50 and 52, through the pump 54 and discharge conduit 64 to the filter chamber 58.

As the pump evacuates the cylinder 116, the piston 122 therein is moved, and this movement is transmitted through the rod 124 to the toggle 102, moving the toggle past center where the kneepf the toggle engages a suitable stop. The toggle is pivotally connected to the bell crank lever 96, the knee of which is pivoted on the frame, hence the bell crank lever is moved through an angle. This movement of the bell crank lever 96 is transmitted through the link 92 to the arm 82, resulting in swinging the arm on its pivot and lowering the head 86 supported by the horns on the arm into operative position.

Continued evacuation of the cylinder 116 moves the cylinder bodily, resulting in actuating the lever 118 to trip the valve, 46 and to open the conduit 44, providing a communication between the valve 46 and the cylinder 38, resulting in evacuation of this cylinder, Upon evacuation of the cylinder 38, the levers 34 are actuated and this movement of the levers 34 is transmitted through the links 32 to the bell crank lever 26, resulting in raising the buck 24 into pressing engagement with the head.

Upon evacuation of the cylinders 38 and 116, the air from these cylinders is drawn through the conduits 44 and 126 into valve 46, and through this valve and conduit 50 to the valve chamber 72, through this chamber and conduit 52 to the pump 54. In passing through the pump the air becomes impregnated with oil, and the exhaust of the pump which is then in the form of oil vapor is discharged through the conduit 64 into the filter chamber 58 where it passes through the filtering material 60 and the oil is extracted from the air and drains through the conduit 62 to the oil supply tank of the pump, and the air is trapped in the filter chamber above the filtering material.

Upon completing the ironing operation, either of the levers '78 may be manually operated to rock the shaft 76 to move the lever 74 through an angle. This movement of the lever 74 is transmitted to the piston 68 resulting in moving the piston to the position shown in full lines. With the piston 68 in this position, the air in the filter chamber 58 discharges through conduit 56, valve chamber 70 and conduit 40 into cylinder 38, through cylinder 38, conduit 44, valve 46, and conduit 126 into cylinder 116.

As the air enters the cylinder 38 the piston therein is urged to its normal position by a spring interposed between the piston and one of the heads of the cylinder, resulting in lowering the buck to its normal position, and, as the air enters the cylinder 116, the piston 122 is moved to trip the toggle 102, whereupon the spring 110 becomes eiTective to snap the toggle to the position shown in dotted lines, and as the toggle is snapped the balance springs 114 swing the arm 82 on its pivot and elevate the head 86.

Up to this operation the entire system is closed to the atmosphere with the exhaust air in the filter chamber under a slight abnormal pressure. The valve 46 now closes, and opens the system to the atmosphere through the clearance around the stem of the valve. The work is now removed from the buck and the machine is in position for a subsequent operation.

Although this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, vacuum operated means for moving one of the elements into operative position, and vacuum operated means for moving the other element to create an ironing pressure between the elements.

2. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, vacuum operated means for moving one of the elements into operative position, vacuum operated means for moving the other element to create an ironing pressure between the elements, and means controlling the vacuum operated means for actuation of the elements in sequence.

3. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, a vacuum cylinder motor connected to one of the elements for actuation thereof, a vacuum cylinder motor connected to the other element for actuation thereof, a conduit connecting the motors, control means for the conduit actuated by one of the motors and means connected to the control means for evacuation of the motors.

4. An ironing machine comprising an ironing element, spaced members for moving the ironing element, a vacuum cylinder motor connected to the members for simultaneous actuation thereof, and means for evacuation of the motor.

5. An ironing machine comprising an ironing element, spaced bell crank levers for moving the element, a vacuum cylinder motor, linkage connecting the motor between the levers for simultaneous actuation thereof, and means for evacuation of the motor.

6. An ironing machine comprising an ironing element, spaced levers for moving the element, a vacuum cylinder motor, linkage connecting the motor between the levers for actuation thereof including force multiplying members, and means for evacuation of the motor.

'I. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, a vacuum cylinder motor for actuating each of the elements, a conduit connecting the motors, a valve connected in the conduit, and a vacuum pumpv connected to the valve.

8. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, a vacuum motor for actuating each element, a conduit connecting the motors, a valve connected in the conduit, means for actuating the valve by one of the motors, and a vacuum pump connected to the valve.

9. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, a vacuum cylinder motor for actuating each of the elements, a conduit connecting the motors, a valve connected in the conduit and operable by one of the motors,-

a vacuum pump having its intake connected to the valve and its exhaust connected to one of the motors, and means for controlling the intake and the exhaust of the pump 10. An ironing machine comprising relatively movable ironing elements, a vacuum cylinder motor for actuating each element, a conduit connecting the motors, a valve connected in the conduit and operable by one of the motors, a vacuum pump having its intake connected to the valve and its exhaust connected to the other motor, and a manually operated valve controlling the intake and the exhaust of the pump.

ERWIN F. LOWEKE 

